Different varieties of leafy salads are a good addition to many dishes throughout the land.
Due to their unpretentiousness they are grown in almost all latitudes.
And current cultivation and transportation technologies allow delivering demanded bundles of lettuce leaves to store shelves all year round.
Leaf lettuce: varieties and their beneficial properties.
Each variety is distinguished not only by taste, color and appearance, but also by the chemical composition that determines those or other useful properties of leaf lettuce for the human body.
Most often, you can find the following types of salad:
Lettuce is the most famous of all species that grows in every garden and is the most common vegetable in the world. This variety is a champion in the content of vitamins, minerals and organic acids.
Aspartic and glutamine amino acids are the most valuable components of lettuce from a medical point of view. They are part of easily digestible proteins contained in the salad.
A feature of lettuce is the presence of milky juice, which is extremely rich in lactacin. This alkaloid has a wide range of actions. Here are some of them:
• has a powerful analgesic effect;
• calms and strengthens the nervous system;
• strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
• lowers blood pressure.
Iceberg - salad, juicy and crispy leaves of which form soft heads of cabbage. In addition to the valuable vitamins A, C and B4, selenium and phosphorus are present in this salad in a high concentration. This salad is distinguished from others by the presence of a large amount of lutein and zeaxanthin - carotenoids that maintain healthy vision.
Corn - leaf lettuce, which contains the most vitamin B9 (folic acid). Due to this, when using the root in the body, metabolic processes are significantly stimulated, and cell regeneration is also accelerated. A unique set of vitamins makes lettuce leaves of this variety useful for the male reproductive system.
Arugula - one of the richest variety of rare beneficial substances salad. It contains choline, which prevents obesity in the liver with diabetes. Due to the content of many flavonoids, the consumption of arugula is an excellent prophylaxis of oncological and cardiovascular diseases.
Roman (romano) - the main ingredient of the Caesar salad that many have loved, according to the original recipe. Its most valuable quality is 60% more sodium than potassium. This proportion is very important for kidney diets. The effect of romaine on the body:
• establishes a metabolism;
• increases the level of hemoglobin;
• helps to break down fats;
• stimulates adrenal function;
• improves sleep.
Leaf lettuce: useful properties for various diseases
The variety and abundance of vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances present in lettuce leaves makes it indispensable for all systems of the human body. But the most important advantage over other vegetables is the record content of vitamin K. It is a fat-soluble hydrophobic vitamin that is necessary for protein synthesis and ensures normal blood coagulation.
Salads of all varieties are diuretic, which prevents the deposition of stones and the occurrence of urolithiasis. Thanks to a cocktail of minerals, lettuce leaves well regulate the water-salt balance of the body.
Most often, lettuce leaves are used in diet to combat obesity. For example, chrome, which is very much in watercress, relieves a person of the desire to eat sweets. Having a very low calorie content, but a high percentage of fiber, the salad well saturates, without overloading, the body. Fiber cleanses the intestines from accumulated toxins.
Leaf lettuce is good to use as a tool for the prevention of diabetes - the magnesium and zinc contained in it stabilize the metabolism of carbohydrates in the body.
Folic acid, manganese, B vitamins - all these substances are in the salad, they are all responsible for the normal functioning of the nervous system. They stimulate the formation of brain cells and neural connections, therefore, are indicated for patients with impaired coordination and people with neurological pathologies (for example, Parkinson's disease).
Lettuce leaves are an indispensable product in the diets of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Its components gently cleanse blood vessels of excess cholesterol, preventing this occurrence of atherosclerosis. Salad citrine strengthens the walls of blood vessels.
A large number of carotenoids in leaf lettuce makes it possible to maintain healthy vision. Lutein and zeaxanthin prevent cataracts and macular degeneration in the elderly.
A large percentage of iodine and thyrokinin enzymes in all varieties of salad stimulates the thyroid gland. This helps fight hypothyroidism.
The useful composition of lettuce leaves of any variety is aimed at cleansing the body:
• expectorant effect for respiratory organs;
• diuretic and anti-inflammatory for the genitourinary system;
• choleretic, enzymatic, and digestive tract cleanser.
It is especially important to include lettuce leaves in the diets of pregnant women, children, the elderly and those weakened by disease.
Leaf lettuce: useful properties and application in cosmetology
Due to the high content of magnesium, zinc, calcium, organic acids and vitamin C, leaf lettuce produces preparations aimed at improving the skin, strengthening hair and nails. However, external use of the leaves is also possible.
Masks from lettuce leaves gently clean the upper layers of the skin due to the presence of non-aggressive acids. Thus, the skin remains hydrated.
Lactucin from lettuce is a very good regenerative. Since its greatest concentration is in lettuce, masks from this salad are used for irritations, peeling and minor skin lesions (for example, wounds from furunculosis and acne). Such masks very quickly heal the skin so that it leaves a minimum of traces or does not remain at all.
The valuable composition of nutrients allows you to use the leaves as a remedy for wrinkles, and as a daily tonic. Vitamin lotions from lettuce activate the skin glands, due to which the skin is cleaned naturally.
Leaf lettuce: contraindications
With lettuce, as with any other product, it is worth observing the measure in use. Since this plant is rich in fiber, its entry into the body in large quantities can provoke increased gas formation. It is dangerous for people with asthma and tuberculosis.
Conditions in which it is not recommended to eat salad leaves for food:
• aggravated conditions of the digestive tract;
• intestinal colitis and enterocolitis;
• gastritis with high acidity;
• increased blood coagulability;
• gout.
Since salads are grown all year round (which means they are fertilized with chemicals), you need to carefully monitor the quality of the leaves used. People with allergies should start taking small portions.
